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“Melody, are you participating in this tournament just to see Ash?” Misty asked in a snappy voice. She, Ash, Lucy, Brock, Pikachu and Togetic were standing in front of the big stadium, where Ash was about to battle Melody today. As usual, Misty and Melody were fighting again. Meanwhile, Melody’s Furret was gushing over Togetic. “What a perv,” Pikachu and Togetic thought.

“No, I just wanna be a successful Pokemon trainer!” Melody countered, while winking at Ash, who just blandly stood there and didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to anger Misty even more.

“It’s up to him to choose, not to you!” Melody countered. “So, Ash, who do you wanna be with? With nagging, snapping Misty, or with me and my sexy looks? I won’t nag to you all the time, and I’m not short-tempered like she is.”

“She sure does look sexy,” Brock said, while Lucy dragged him away from the Shamouti Island-native.

Then, Ash finally involved himself in the argument. “Melody, I’m sick of you and Misty always fighting! Yes, I like your looks, but I don’t love you! I love Misty, and I also prefer her looks over yours, and I always will!” Ash snapped.

“Ash, come with me, there’s something I want to ask you without others hearing it,” Melody asked, taking Ash to a corner behind the stadium. There, she started whispering. “I know how you like challenges, huh?”

“Is that so? Well, then how would you like to place a little wager on it?” Melody asked.

“Wager? What are you talking about?” Ash asked.

“If you win, I’ll leave you and Misty alone and stop flirting with you. But if I win, you and I are gonna have a romantic picknick at the beach tomorrow,” Melody proposed. “And if he’s there with me, I’ll seduce him again with my looks,” she thought. “I know he’s gonna love my new bikini, and then, Ash will be my boyfriend! Will I finally find the love I’ve been looking for?”

“Oh, you can always tell her you’re going to run a small errand. If she doesn’t know, it won’t hurt,” Melody tried.

“I still stand by my answer, I don’t want this,” Ash said.

Melody tried to think of other ways to get Ash to accept her deal. Then, she got it. “Oh, are you scared? Do you think you can’t do it? If you’re really that good, you’d believe in yourself and wouldn’t even think about the possibility of losing!” she teased.

“No, I’m not scared! I just...” Ash moaned, while Melody imitated the sound of a frightened chicken. He couldn’t take it anymore, he knew he was going to beat that girl, but she kept teasing him. “Oh, alright then, deal!” he shouted.

“Splendid. See you in ten minutes on the battlefield, and then we’re going to the beach tomorrow!” Melody said, just before walking into the stadium.

Then, Misty and the others quickly walked up to Ash. “What did she ask?” his girlfriend asked.

He felt scared, he didn’t have the guts to confront his girlfriend with what would happen if he’d lose the battle. “Well, Misty, she had a deal. If I win, she’s gonna leave us alone and respect our relationship,” Ash said with a big smile.

“Awesome! And what if you lose?” Misty asked.

“Then I need to have lunch with her at the beach,” Ash admitted.

“What?” Misty asked. “How could you do this?” She was about to punch Ash in the face, but Tracey and Brock held her back.

“There’s always the possibility of losing. And then what?” Lucy asked Ash.

“Then I’m just not gonna show up,” Ash said.

“And do you think that sexy lady is gonna accept that? Oh no, Ash. If you lose, you’ve got a date,” Brock said.

“I can just tell her I’m ill, and then quickly leave Mt. Silver with Misty,” Ash suggested.

“Ash, why were you stupid enough to do this to me?” Misty asked.

“I wasn’t doing it to you, I was doing it for you!” Ash countered. “I know how much Melody annoys you, so the possibility of getting rid of her flirting appealed to me. I’m sick of these arguments!”

“And did you realize you could lose the battle as well?” Misty asked.

“Not really, of course I’m gonna win,” Ash said. “Misty, does this mean you’re gonna break up with me if I lose this battle?” he asked.

“No, I love you too much for that, I know your intentions weren’t bad. You just wanted to get rid of her, and maybe she tripped you into this deal with some seducing or teasing... But I’d definitely be hurt if you two would date. Who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love with her and leave me for her...” Misty said, while a tear flew down her right eye.

And so, ten minutes later, a very tense battle was about to start. Not only would Ash lose another League if he wouldn’t win today, but he might also do serious damage to his relationship with Misty. On the rocky field, Ash and Melody were ready to choose their first Pokemon. Meanwhile, Misty, Lucy, Brock, Professor Oak, Togetic, Psyduck, Hoppip, Azumarill and Ludicolo were cheering for Ash, while Pikachu stood next to his trainer. The yellow Pokemon was registered for this battle. Then, Misty ran at Melody. “Hey, you skank! Trying to get my boyfriend to cheat on me, huh?” she snapped.

“No!” Melody said. “It’s just a romantic lunch, no kissing or sex!”

“Really? Come on, you almost humped him last time and you’re gonna try it again if you get the chance!” Misty snapped.

“So what? He agreed on this deal,” Melody defended herself.

“Yeah, but you tripped him into this by making those chicken sounds!” Misty snapped.

“I can’t help it that he’s so stupid,” Melody said.

“Well, you shouldn’t take advantage of it!” Misty shouted.

“He doesn’t love you, don’t you realize?” Melody said. “If he’d really love you, he wouldn’t agree on a bet like that. Don’t you get it? He loves me, he wants to lose this battle in order to romantically date a real lady. A real lady like me!”

“Shut up! He loves me for who I am, he only liked you for your looks!” Misty snapped. Meanwhile, a stadium guard jumped from the stands and walked up to the fighting girls.

“I love him, and I’ll do whatever I can to get him,” Melody said. “Encouraging someone to cheat on you isn’t my proudest moment, but damn it, I love him!”

“You unbelievable b*tch...” Misty muttered, while raising her fist in order to punch the flirty girl, only to be stopped by the guard.

“Hey, this is between Melody and me! Go away!” Misty snapped.

“Sorry, but according to the Pokemon League Agency rules, only the Pokemon are allowed to fight on the battlefield. I have to ask you to go back to the coaching couch behind Ash immediately,” the guard said. Misty was disappointed, but knew she didn’t have a choice. After all, if she didn’t follow his orders, she’d have to leave the stadium immediately.

“Wow, Misty, you’re out of control!” Brock noticed.

“If another man would try to steal Lucy away from you, you’d understand how I feel,” Misty shouted.

“Brock already knows how it feels, because he fell for so many women who ended up with other guys,” Lucy teased.

“Hey, that’s not funny!” Brock snapped.

“Says the one who flirts with any girl he sees,” Lucy teased.

“That’s what happens if every girl I see is hot,” Brock said.

“I see so many guys, and the only one I see as hot is you,” Lucy said.

“Well, as long as I stay faithful, looking at other girls is fine, huh?” Brock asked.

“Yes, if you don’t mind me doing what Misty, Max and Croagunk used to do,” Lucy teased, much to Delia’s and Oak’s laughter. Then, it was time for serious business: Melody sent out her Serperior.

“Serperior, use your Leech Seed!” Melody commanded. The seed shot by the Grass-type wrapped around the bird, trying to drain away all its energy.

“This isn’t good...” Brock moaned, while looking at the way Pidgeot tried to peck the seed away, but failed. “All energy will be drained away and there’s nothing Pidgeot can do...”

“Pidgeot, return!” Ash shouted, while putting the bird back in his Poke Ball. “Retreating is better than losing a Pokemon too soon,” he thought. Then, he decided to go for another type advantage. “Arcanine, I choose you!”

“That’s a smart switch,” Lucy thought, while seeing how the dog Pokemon gritted his teeth, being ready to fight.

Meanwhile, Melody came up with an idea. Despite the hot summer temperature, rain was falling down from the sky. However, she had a strategy that involved different weather. “Serperior, Sunny Day,” she said. And so, the Grass-type caused the sun to shine brightly.

“Arcanine, use your Fire Blast!” Ash commanded. However, the shot of fire wasn’t affecting its opponent, who was able to avoid at blinding speed.

“Serperior, Solarbeam!” Melody commanded. Because of the weather, there was no need to charge for the blasting beam that struck Arcanine. However, the Pokemon stood up, despite feeling some pain.

“Arcanine, try some more Fire Blasts!” Ash tried. And so, the dog-like creature shot fire at its opponent, but all efforts ended up to be futile against the blinding fast Grass-type, who was able to avoid anything Arcanine tried so far.

“This is useless... Serperior will avoid anything Arcanine does...” Ash thought, while Arcanine got hit by a Tackle from the final evolution of Snivy.

“I got it!” Ash shouted. “Arcanine, use your Fire Spin!” A fast tornado of flames started moving rapidly fast on the rocky battlefield, striking Serperior. Because of the sunlight, the attack was even stronger than it would normally be, causing the Grass-type to collapse. “Serperior is defeated, Arcanine is the winner!” the referee shouted.

“You did it!” Ash complimented his pal. Meanwhile, he noticed Melody’s next Pokemon: Ninetales. He remembered a battle had had with Melody earlier on his journey with Misty, before Melody started pursuing a relationship with him.

Meanwhile, on the coaching couch, the group was talking. “A hot Ninetales fits a hot trainer,” Brock stated.

Then, the battle resumed. “Arcanine, use your Dragon Rage!” Ash said. A big tornado whipped up, catching Ninetales and making her spin around in the air.

“Good! Now use Dragonbreath!” A green, small wave was aimed at the fox, who had to take another hit.

Then, the tornado caused by Dragon Rage stopped spinning. However, against everybody’s expectations, Ninetales was able to continue! She was barely able to stand on her feet, she was about to collapse, but she wasn’t done for yet. “Ninetales, now use your Heat Wave!” Melody said.

“Huh? Heat Wave? That’s not gonna affect Arcanine,” Ash thought. However, the heat caused a rock close to Arcanine to crash into pieces that fell down on the dog! Once the attack was over, everyone could see the Fire-type was done for. “Arcanine is defeated, Ninetales is the winner!” the referee said. “I knew he should’ve chosen another Pokemon...” Misty thought.

“Arcanine, you did a good job,” Ash said, while returning the Pokemon to his Poke Ball. Then, he sent out Pidgeot, who didn’t have to suffer from Leech Seed’s effects anymore. “Begin!” the referee shouted.

“Ninetales, let’s go for the same recipe, another Heat Wave!” Melody said, while looking as confident as never before. Again, the rocks around Pidgeot crumbled. Then, in the blink of an eye, Ash knew what he had to do.

“Pidgeot, Whirlwind!” Ash shouted. And so, the small stones were all shot at Ninetales. The Fire-type wasn’t able to deal with rocks well and already took a beating from Arcanine, eventually leading to her defeat.

“Wow, Ash isn’t as stupid as I thought,” Lucy said.

“Yeah, he’s not that bright, but he’s good at improvisation in battles,” Professor Oak replied, while Melody sent out her Sylveon. And so, the referee told the trainers to resume the match.

“Pidgeot, use your Tackle!” Ash commanded, causing the bird to charge into the Fairy-type, hitting it at high speed.

“Sylveon, try a Swift!” Melody said. Star-shaped rays were shot at the big bird, who wasn’t able to avoid this giant blow.

“Sylveon, finish it with Hyper Beam!” Melody shouted. And so, a big, yellow beam was shot at the bird, who crashed down. “Pidgeot is defeated, Sylveon is the winner!”

“That was a good strategy, distracting Pidgeot with Shadow Ball to make him less likely to avoid that Hyper Beam,” Professor Oak admitted.

“Yeah, Lucy was right after all,” Misty said.

Then, the defeated Pidgeot was recalled and replaced by Pikachu. “Begin!” the referee screamed.

“Pikachu, start with a Quick Attack!” Ash said. Melody told her Pokemon to do the same, causing them to bump into each other, leaving both damaged. However, because of fighting Pidgeot, Sylveon had less energy left than the yellow mouse.

“Sylveon, Shadow Ball!” Melody tried. This time, the opponent got hit with a major blow. However, Pikachu was able to stand up with ease.

“Pikachu, end it with your Thunderbolt!” Ash shouted. And so, Pikachu totally zapped the fairy, causing it to fall down on the ground. And so, Melody recalled her Pokemon and picked her next one: Furret.

“Oh, that Furret is quite strong...” Misty moaned.

“Have you seen him often?” Lucy asked.

“That Furret is no good, he’s a total pervert! He gushed over Togetic in a really inappropriate way before this battle started,” Misty remembered.

After the signal from the referee, Pikachu tried to zap Furret with another Thunderbolt. However, the Normal-type quickly evaded the blow.

“Furret, use your Slam!” Melody commanded. The ferret ran at Pikachu, slamming him with his big tail.

“Great, and now Dig!” she said. The Normal-type dug a hole underground and was about to surprise Pikachu.

However, Ash knew what to do next. “Pikachu, use your Thunder in that tunnel!” Waves of lightning entered the hole dug by Furret, completely zapping the Pokemon, who jumped out of the hole quickly. The Normal-type looked very tired.

“Pikachu, finish it with your Volt Tackle!” Ash commanded, causing the Electric-type to run at the ferret at blinding speed.

“Furret, this is our chance! Use your Strength!” Melody said quickly, causing Furret to slam Pikachu at high power, causing the electric mouse to collapse.

“Pikachu is defeated, Furret is the winner!” the referee shouted. Then, Ash carried Pikachu to the coaching bench, asking Misty, Brock, Lucy, Delia and Professor Oak to take care of the tired Pokemon who didn’t want to be in a Poke Ball. Togetic quickly flew at Pikachu to make sure her boyfriend wasn’t too injured, and healed him with her Softboiled.

“That’s so sweet!” Professor Oak noticed. “Togetic gave some of her energy to Pikachu, so he doesn’t have to go the Pokemon Center anymore!”

“Yeah, some rest should do for now,” Brock said. Then, after seeing Ash chose Butterfree as his next Pokemon, they concentrated on the battle again.

First, Melody told her Furret to use Quick Attack. However, Butterfree flew upwards and avoided the blow. But then, Furret tried again and struck again, hurting Butterfree.

“Butterfree, use your Tackle!” Ash shouted. However, the butterfly saw Furret jumping away just before the blow.

“Furret, Brick Break!” Melody commanded. And so, the Normal-type ran at the butterfly.

Then, Ash knew what to do. “Butterfree, Silver Wind!” Ash screamed. A beautiful gust of wind struck the ferret, smashing him against a rock, causing him to be defeated.

“Furret is defeated, Butterfree is the winner!” the referee said. While Ash was cheering, Melody complimented Furret and retreated the Normal-type, while Magnezone entered the battlefield.

“So? Ash has Squirtle and Bulbasaur left, he can switch,” Delia suggested.

“Not really... Squirtle also can’t take electricity, while Bulbasaur needs to be saved for battling Melody’s Milotic,” Professor Oak explained.

Then, the battle resumed. “Butterfree, use your Silver Wind!” Ash tried, knowing the attempt would be futile. And indeed, even though Magnezone was too slow to avoid the attack, the wind did little damage.

“Magnezone, Flash Cannon!” Melody shouted. A big, mirror-like light ball was shot at the butterfly, who was fast enough to fly away from the attack.

“Butterfree, let’s try Take Down,” Ash suggested. Butterfree flew at Magnezone at high speed, attempting to charge into the magnet.

“Magnezone, we got him! Thunder!” Melody commanded. The Steel-type did what its trainer asked him to, zapping Butterfree from a very small distance, defeating the Bug-type.

“Thank you, Butterfree, you did an awesome job,” Ash complimented, while returning the bug to his Poke Ball. Then, Squirtle was sent out.

“This is bad, Squirtle won’t stand a chance!” Delia thought. However, her son, who she forced to put on clean boxers against his will again today, had a strategy in mind.

“Hmm... Squirtle, weird choice...” Melody thought. “He probably has some weird trick in mind when choosing a Water Pokemon against Magnezone... I’ll have to dispose of Squirtle quickly, and then I’m close to a chance to seduce my beloved Ashyboy!”

After the referee told the trainers to begin, Melody ordered her Pokemon to zap Squirtle with Thunder. Ash told the turtle to retreat in his shell to lower the done damage, resulting in survival of the attack. Then, Ash saw that Magnezone was still sparking from electricity and knew what to do. “Squirtle, use your Hydro Pump!” The turtle started spinning around, spouting water out of his shell, shooting Magnezone at the wall and causing an explosion around Magnezone, as a result of how water conducts electricity. And so, Magnezone was defeated!

“Squirtle, that was awesome!” Ash said to his Pokemon, who was clearly hurt by the Thunder. Meanwhile, Melody complimented Magnezone for a good battle and for defeating Butterfree and sent out her strongest Pokemon. On a rocky battlefield, Milotic wasn’t very mobile or fast, but that wouldn’t stop Milotic from being very strong.

Then, the referee gave the signal to begin. “Squirtle, let’s start with Skull Bash!” Ash said. The Water Pokemon jumped at Milotic, attempting to charge his head against her.

“Milotic, use your Iron Tail!” Melody commanded. The Tender Pokemon moved her tail a bit, enough to smash Squirtle against the wall, causing it to collapse. “Squirtle is defeated, Milotic is the winner!” And so, Ash sent out his last Pokemon, Bulbasaur.

“Wow, both have one Pokemon left, it’s all or nothing now...” the tense Misty whispered silently. “Bulbasaur just has to win, I don’t wanna lose Ash to that flirty b*tch...”

“Yeah, but that Milotic is strong,” Brock said. “I’ve seen that Milotic defeat Pikachu with one hit some months ago when I was with Ash and Misty between National Park and Goldenrod City, so I know the Milotic we’re dealing with is not a weak one!”

“Brock, who are you supporting?” Delia asked. “I can understand why Melody is hot for you, but Ash is your friend!”

“I’m torn!” Brock screamed. “I just have a soft spot for hot ladies, but I don’t want to abandon my best friends! I know Ash needs to win, both for himself and for Misty.”

“And for me,” Professor Oak mentioned. “I’d rather see happy Pokemon at my lab than ones that are sad about losing a League again. And it’s pretty sad how a great trainer like Ash never won a League...”

“Well, I believe in him, he can beat Melody,” Lucy said. “Bulbasaur has the type advantage, and both Ash and Bulbasaur have proven themself often.”

However, Ash knew how to deal with that attack. “Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip!” The Grass Pokemon’s vines grabbed the tail of the long sea snake.

“Now, use your Solarbeam!” Ash said. The sun was still shining, which meant there was no time needed for charging up the attack. A strong ray of energy was shot from Bulbasaur’s bulb. However, Melody knew what she had to do.

“Milotic, use your Mirror Coat!” she shouted quickly. And so, Bulbasaur got hit by his own attack, and that at double power! However, Milotic wasn’t undamaged either. Both Pokemon were clearly struggling.

“Milotic, let’s not dwell too long and just finish it quickly,” Melody suggested. “Use your Surf!” A giant flood wave emerged from one side of the battlefield, about to soak Bulbasaur.

Ash was under pressure, he had to do something quickly about an attack that can’t just be evaded. “Bulbasaur, use your Whirlwind!” Ash shouted. A gust of wind emerged from the bulb, causing the flood to turn backwards, crashing down on Milotic! “And now grab her with your Vine Whip and finish it with Solarbeam!” Bulbasaur did what he was told to, resulting in another strong Solarbeam hitting Milotic, who was too dazzled by Surf to use Mirror Coat again.

“Yes, we did it!” Ash shouted. However, Milotic stood up again!

“Milotic, finish it with your Double-Edge!” Melody shouted, attempting a last-ditch attack to strike down the small Grass-type. The serpent charged into Bulbasaur, who was clearly hurt. Then, both Pokemon tried to stand up after collapsing. Misty almost collapsed too, fearing that Bulbasaur might be done for.

“Bulbasaur, you can do it!” Ash encouraged.

“Come on, Milotic, Bulbasaur won’t last long anymore!” Melody said.

Then, Milotic stood up and seemed ready for battle again! However, then, she collapsed again. This time, she was really defeated. Meanwhile, Bulbasaur managed to get up!

“Milotic is unable to battle. Bulbasaur is the winner! Victory goes to Ash from Pallet Town, who advances to the next round!” the referee shouted. Meanwhile, Ash was hugging Bulbasaur and celebrating with Pikachu, while Melody made sure Milotic wasn’t too hurt. Then, Misty entered the battlefield. “Ash, you did it!” she shouted, while giving her boyfriend a tongue-kiss.

Then, Melody walked up to the kissing couple. “Ash, Misty, I’m a woman of my word. I’ll leave you two alone from now on, this is true love right here. I’ll find the boy of my dreams someday,” she said. “It’s time for me to move on. I’m going to travel through Kanto now, I’m sure there must be some nice boys there.”

“That’s very mature of you,” Misty said.

Then, Brock ran at Melody, not counting on Lucy going after him. “Melody, Lucy and I welcome you in the Battle Pike, how about a sexy threesome?”

“Maybe you want that, but I don’t,” Lucy teased, while dragging Brock away by his ear, causing the entire group to laugh. “That’s our silly Brock,” Delia commented. Meanwhile, Pikachu was restored from the injuries he suffered during the battle and kissed Togetic.

Some days after the battle against Melody, on a hot summer Monday afternoon, Ash stood just outside of the League hotel, waiting for an old friend to return.

“Ash, we’ve been standing in the scorching sunlight for thirty minutes, what are we waiting for?” Lucy asked.

“An old friend of mine is returning, they said they’d be here, but they’re late...” Ash moaned. “If they’re not here soon, I’ll be in trouble for my match against Harrison...”

“Misty, do you know what old friend he means?” Delia asked.

“Yes, but it’s nicer to surprise you and Lucy. I think Brock and Professor Oak know who Ash is referring to,” Misty teased.

“Hey, I see something,” Brock said, pointing at a Charizard in the air. Then, the fire lizard and a girl came down from the sky. Then, the girl opened a Poke Ball, sending out the Pokemon our heroes have been waiting for. When Ash wanted to hug his own Charizard, his face got burned by a Flamethrower, something Charizard used to do to Ash often.

“Charizard, it’s so good to see you again!” Ash said. Meanwhile, Brock ran at the green-haired girl, but got pulled back by Lucy.

“Ash, sorry for being late, we encountered Team Rocket, but defeated them easily,” the girl explained.

“It’s fine, I understand,” Ash replied. “I’m just glad to see Charizard again. But why didn’t he fly himself, why was he in a Poke Ball?”

“If he flies all the way, he’d be too tired to battle today,” Liza explained. “Charizard should be able to do two big battles now, he had a lot of rest and is in perfect shape.”

“Makes sense, thanks for thinking that way!” Ash said.

“So you’ll use him in the semifinal against Harrison, and in the final round if you win today, and then you’ll just tell Charizard to fly back to the Charicific Valley, like we agreed on the phone, okay?” Liza asked. “I’m busy, so I can’t pick him up myself, I have to go now. Bye!”

“Yes, thank you for bringing him here!” Ash thanked, while Liza flew away on her own Charizard, Charla. “Bye!”

“Why didn’t you tell us about this?” Delia asked.

“I thought it would be a nice surprise for you all,” Ash said. “I actually wanted to use Charizard earlier, but Liza didn’t have time to bring him here. However, when I called her yesterday, she told me she was able to come here today.”

“What Pokemon are you going to use in your match against Harrison today?” Misty asked.

“Muk, Totodile, Heracross, Sceptile, Snorlax and Charizard,” Ash answered. “I actually wanted to use Bayleef, but she suffered a small foot injury during the training yesterday, so I’m giving her some rest at the Pokemon Center. Tracey sent over Sceptile as a replacement, and if I beat Harrison today, Bayleef will be fully ready to take part in the final round.”

“That’s smart, you don’t want to use a Pokemon that isn’t truly ready to battle,” Brock complimented. Ash nodded.

“Why aren’t you using Pikachu?” Delia asked.

“I don’t want to use all the Pokemon I’d use if I reach the final round, so Pikachu, Arcanine and Bulbasaur also get some rest,” Ash explained. “And besides, Pikachu doesn’t really have any type advantages against Harrison’s team.”

“Do you know who your opponents in the final round could be?” Professor Oak asked.

“Yes, Misty looked for me. Today, at the same moment I’m battling Harrison, Gary and Bruno are battling in the other semifinal,” Ash said.

“Who would you rather battle, Gary or Bruno?” Lucy asked.

“First, I have to beat Harrison to even think about that. But both would be nice. Gary is my rival, I’d love to see his face once I beat him in the final, but a battle against someone like Bruno would also be a nice challenge,” Ash answered.

“Wow, that’s a mature answer. I’d normally expect you to just go wild and take a win today for granted,” Brock answered.

“Well, Misty taught me a lot, and the book Zoey and Dawn gave me for my birthday also helps,” Ash said.

“Ash, I have a nice idea for you. While you battle Harrison, one of us should visit the match between Gary and Bruno. That person could get some more information on their strategies and Pokemon. That could help you prepare for the final battle if you win today,” Misty suggested.

“Nice idea, but I want you on the coaching couch, I want my girlfriend’s support,” Ash complained.

“Well, Brock, Lucy, Delia, Professor Oak, would one of you be willing to do this?” Misty asked.

“I’d love to,” Brock said, with a big blush on his face.

“I don’t think so!” Lucy shouted, while pulling Brock’s ear.

“Why not?” Brock asked.

“Because that means there’s no one to stop you if you flirt with other women if I’m not there,” Lucy explained.

“I suppose I could do it. It’s hard for me, because Gary is my grandson, but I’ve taken Ash under my wing and acted like a second father to him... No, I can’t do this, I’d feel wrong if I’d actively help Ash to defeat my own grandson...” Professor Oak muttered.

“How about you, Lucy?” Delia suggested.

“I could do it, but then who is there to take care of Brock?” Lucy asked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pull his ear if he gets pervy,” Misty offered.

“Well then, that’s settled. I’ll go to that stadium now to buy a ticket for the match. You should probably go to the other stadium quickly, Ash’s battle with Harrison is going to start very soon,” Lucy said.

And so, thirty minutes later, Ash registered his team, including Charizard, and stood close to the grassy battlefield, ready to defeat the man who denied him access to the semifinals in the Johto League seven years ago. Meanwhile, Misty, Delia, Brock, Professor Oak, Pikachu, Togetic, Ludicolo, Hoppip, Dewgong and Azumarill were cheering on the coaching couch as usual. However, Lucy wasn’t there. She was analysing Gary and Bruno in the other stadium.

“This is a six on six battle between Ash and Harrison. The winner will advance to the final round of the Johto League. There is no time limit. Trainers, choose your Pokemon!”

“Muk, let’s start with your Sludge Bomb!” Ash commanded. A blob was hurled at the iron snake, who was too slow to avoid the attack, but shrugged off the sludge by shaking its head, while not being damaged at all.

“Steelix, use your Hyper Beam!” Harrison commanded. He was lucky Muk was just as slow as his Steelix, and the strong ray of energy struck Muk, causing it to immediately collapse, backed up by the referee’s decision. “Muk is defeated, Steelix is the winner!”

“Maybe Ash should’ve just used his strongest team,” Delia said.

“Yes, but then they’d be tired, and Ash needs them most in the final,” Professor Oak said. “Pikachu, Bayleef, Arcanine and Bulbasaur already did multiple League battles and are all tired, while Bayleef has that small injury. If Ash wins today, they’ll all be fully fit for the final round.”

“But he registered Snorlax and Charizard, two of his strongest Pokemon,” Brock countered.

“Yes, but Snorlax rests often, he won’t be tired out. And Charizard is in great shape and even rested to prepare for today and for the battle next Thursday, if Ash wins,” the professor explained.

“Yeah, if that battle on Thursday will be there for Ash...” Misty whispered, while Ash chose his second Pokemon. Then, the referee told the trainers to resume the battle.

“Totodile, let’s start with your Water Gun!” Ash commanded. A blast of water struck the iron snake, severely damaging it.

“Steelix, now use your Wrap!” Harrison commanded, causing the tail of his Pokemon to wrap around the dancing crocodile and squeeze. “And now, just squeeze and strangle until he’s defeated!”

While Ash tried to think off a possible strategy, Totodile tried getting out of the wrap by trying Bite, Headbutt and even a Scary Face, but none of these moves worked.

“It’s no use, Totodile is done for...” Brock moaned.

“And that with a type advantage...” Misty muttered. Then, she stood up. “Totodile, you can do it! Do it for Ash, for yourself, for me, for all Water Pokemon!” “TOGE TOGETIC!” her Pokemon screamed, while the other Pokemon also started to cheer louder. Then, Totodile tried to break free with all his power and succeeded! Then, he stood on Steelix’s head. The snake tried to shake to throw the crocodile away, but failed.

“Yes! Totodile, now use Hydro Pump in his face!” Ash said. The crocodile raised his mouth and spit water at the Steel-type’s face, striking it down with a major blow. The referee raised a flag. “Steelix is defeated, Totodile is the winner!”

While the crocodile was dancing to celebrate his victory, Harrison quickly sent out his next Pokemon: Sneasel. Ash realized one of the Pokemon he registered for this battle would match up better than his current one. “Totodile, come back,” he said, while returning the Pokemon to a ball. After that, Heracross was chosen to take on the Dark-type opponent. Then, the referee told the trainers to begin.

“Sneasel, use your Scratch!” Harrison shouted. The black Pokemon ran at the blue bug, ready to slash and attack.

“Heracross, Endure, take as much as you can!” Ash shouted.

“Huh? He’s basically giving up on Heracross, not even making him avoid the attack...” Harrison thought. “Oh well, it makes things easier for us.” Then, the Hoenn-native looked at Sneasel. “Go on until that bug is defeated!”

Slashes, scratches and claws were all Heracross kept feeling all the time. The bug was worn out and couldn’t take this much longer. “Heracross, hang in there, you can do it!” Ash shouted. One minute later, Heracross was almost done for. “Now, Reversal!” the boy from Pallet Town shouted. The beetle gave Sneasel a major blow with his horn, smacking him down in just one hit!

“Wow, that’s a good strategy! The more damage Heracross takes, the more damage Reversal will deal,” Professor Oak explained.

“This is a Paul-like strategy, Ash also learned from his rival,” Brock mentioned.

Then, after seeing how Harrison chose Houndoom as his next Pokemon, the battle started again. “Heracross, try another Reversal!” Ash shouted, knowing Houndoom would take lots of damage from this strong attack.

However, when Heracross was close to the black Pokemon, Harrison put a stop to this plan. “Houndoom, Counter!” When the bug struck the Fire-type, the attack was returned to the attacker himself, effectively defeating the weakened Heracross. “Heracross is defeated, Houndoom is the winner!” the referee announced.

“Heracross, you did a great job. Have some rest,” Ash complimented, while hurling a new Poke Ball after returning his Bug-type Pokemon.

“Hmm, Totodile again... Good choice against Houndoom!” Misty cheered.

“Yeah, but maybe Totodile might be too tired from fighting Steelix, I’m not sure if this is really a good idea,” Brock complained.

After the referee shouted “Begin!” Ash knew he had to use non-physical moves to prevent another Counter. “Totodile, Scary Face!” The small crocodile gazed at Houndoom, but the dog didn’t feel scared at all. Instead, he started laughing like he’s getting tickled with a feather! “Wow, that Totodile is so weak and funny!” the Fire-type thought.

“Now he’s distracted, fire your Hydro Pump at him!” Ash shouted. Totodile spit water at the opponent, smashing him against the wall of the stadium, almost defeating him.

“Houndoom, try a Headbutt!” Harrison commanded. The dog was barely able to stand up, but when he did, he immediately ran at Totodile.

“Totodile, avoid the attack!” Ash screamed. The crocodile jumped up in time to evade the attack. Then, he jumped on Houndoom’s head, delivering the Fire-type the final blow.

While the referee announced Houndoom’s defeat, Harrison complimented his Pokemon and replaced him with his Hypno.

“Do you think Totodile can do this?” Brock asked.

“Totodile is very tired, I’m afraid one good hit will defeat him now,” Professor Oak predicted.

Then, the battle started. “Hypno is slow and won’t avoid much,” Ash thought. Then, he told Totodile to use Crunch. The Pokemon gave Hypno a gnaw, severely damaging the Psychic-type. However, then, Hypno suddenly sent Totodile flying, causing the Water-type to crash down on the ground. Totodile was defeated!

“Oh well, at least Totodile did some nice damage with Crunch,” Misty said.

“What Pokemon should Ash use now?” Delia asked.

“Snorlax would be good,” Brock thought.

“Indeed. Snorlax usually sleeps at this time of the day,” Professor Oak said.

“Why?” Delia asked. “If he sleeps, he can’t fight.”

“Don’t you remember that battle seven years ago? Back then, Snorlax woke up and destroyed Hypno,” Misty remembered.

“That’s exactly what I meant,” Oak said.

Then, after Ash indeed chose Snorlax, who was sleeping like expected, the battle began. “Snorlax, wake up!” Ash shouted, hoping to annoy Snorlax so much that he would take his anger out on Hypno. Unfortunately, the Pokemon remained asleep.

“Hypno, use your Dream Eater!” Harrison shouted. The Psychic-type kept draining away the energy, slowly defeating the fat Pokemon. The longer he slept, the more damage he received.

However, then, Snorlax woke up. His eyes were burning, feeling a desire to take out anger on the one who woke him up. “Snorlax, you see Hypno over there? His Dream Eater woke him up, punish him with Body Slam!” And so, the Normal-type used all of his power, completely throwing all of his weight at the opponent, who was instantly defeated. “Hypno is defeated, Snorlax is the winner!”

“Yay, you did it!” Ash cheered, while Harrison replaced the Psychic-type with his Keckleon.

Then, the referee told the Pokemon to begin. “Keckleon, Lick!” The attack didn’t hurt Snorlax, but creeped out the fat Normal-type, who was already weakened by Hypno’s Dream Eater.

“Snorlax, what do we do now?” Ash asked. Snorlax looked around, but wasn’t able to see the opponent. When Keckleon becomes invisible, it’s possible to see the red pattern of his belly, but Snorlax was too slow to follow that.

“Strike him down, finish it with Double-Edge!” the opponent from Hoenn shouted. And so, the Pokemon became visible again and charged into the overweight Normal-type, defeating him. Then, Ash quickly complimented him and sent out his next Pokemon: Sceptile.

“Keckleon, start with your Tackle!” Harrison shouted. However, Ash knew what to do. “Sceptile, use your Leaf Storm!” A tornado of leaves whipped up, smashing the chameleon up and down. Then, when he came down on the ground, one last Leaf Blade was enough to defeat it.

“Keckleon, no!” Harrison shouted. Then, he complimented the Normal-type and retreated him. Then, he sent out his last Pokemon. “Ash, you’re doing well, but you’re not gonna beat Blaziken!”

“Blaziken, grab him,” Harrison said. And so, the attack wasn’t going to work out. “And now use Seismic Toss!” The Fighting-type jumped up, went down and smashed Sceptile against the ground.

“Now, finish it with Blaze Kick!” he shouted. When Sceptile finally stood up after the attack, he got smashed down by Blaziken’s signature move. “Sceptile, you were great. Come back,” Ash said softly. Then, he sent out his secret weapon: Charizard.

“Hmm, Charizard again, a rehash of last time, with a win for me again,” Harrison said.

“Charizard, use your Aerial Ace!” Normally, Blaziken would avoid a blow, but this attack never misses, hitting Blaziken with an extremely strong and effective attacks.

“Blaziken, Double Kick!” Harrison commanded. However, Charizard was able to prevent any pain. He grabbed Blaziken’s legs!

“Awesome! Now use Seismic Toss!” The lizard flew upwards, went down and crashed the Hoenn starter down on the ground. However, despite the major blow, the opponent stood up.

“Blaziken, both you and Charizard are almost done for, but you can still do this! Finish it with your Thunderpunch!” The Fighting Pokemon jumped up and attempted at hitting Charizard again. However, the Kanto starter flew upwards, high enough to prevent Blaziken from reaching that height.

“Charizard, finish it with your Headbutt!” The Fire-type flew at an extremely high speed, quickly hitting Blaziken, who just went down on the ground after its jump. And so, the Fighting-type wasn’t counting on this and got smashed against the wall. Then, the Pokemon fell down on the ground.

“Blaziken is defeated, Charizard is the winner. Victory goes to Ash from Pallet Town, who will advance towards the next round!” the referee shouted. Then, Ash got a Flamethrower in the face from Charizard to celebrate the victory.

Some time after the battle, Ash and his friends stood outside of the stadium. Then, Lucy ran at them.

Finally. Today, on a warm summer Thursday, Ash would finally get the chance to let one of his dreams come true. After his previous failures in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and other regions, he finally got the chance to win a League today. After his win against Harrison last Monday, he knew he was going to battle Gary for victory in the Johto League today. Would he ever win a League? It was now or never for Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. He stood in front of the mirror in the bedroom, together with Pikachu. Thirty minutes ago, he picked up the other Pokemon he would use today at the Pokemon Center, all were in top shape, ready to fight. Then, Misty suddenly entered the bedroom and put her arms on Ash’s shoulders. “Are you nervous?” she asked.

“Of course not, I’m gonna win!” Ash answered.

“Are you sure? You’re trembling,” Misty teased, while noticing the insecure look on her boyfriend’s face.

“I’m not nervous, I’m just excited!” Ash snapped, knowing that was a lie.

“Alright then,” Misty said, knowing her boyfriend was very nervous for the most important battle of his life.

Then, Lucy entered the room. “Ash, are you ready? It’s time to go to the stadium!”

“Yeah”, Ash said, while Pikachu jumped on his shoulder.

Then, the group walked to the stadium. “And, did my analysis of Gary’s team help you?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, thanks for going to his last match for me,” Ash thanked Brock’s girlfriend. “Now I know some of his Pokemon’s weak points, that might help.”

“You’re welcome,” Lucy said. “You’re my boyfriend’s best friend, and we’re friends too, so there’s no reason not to help you.”

“Yeah, but do you care to explain why you’re wearing the same boxers you wore yesterday?” Delia snapped, much to Lucy’s, Brock’s, Misty’s, Professor Oak’s, Pikachu’s and Togetic’s laughter. “I told you, you have to change your underwear once a day!”

“Um... These are my lucky boxers,” Ash tried to get out of this topic.

“You never told me you had such a thing as lucky boxers,” Delia countered. “You’re just making stuff up! Oh well, I’ll let it pass for now. But when we’re back at the hotel after this battle, you’re going to put on clean underwear immediately!”

“Okay, mom...” the potential Johto League winner sighed.

“Misty, Ash recently said he wore the same boxers for two months. How were you able to withstand the stench of his underwear when he wears the same for months?” Professor Oak asked.

“I’ve just gotten used to it, I’m immune for it now,” Misty said, much to the group’s laughter.

A short while later, after a lot of embarrassment for Ash and laughter for the others, the group reached the stadium. While the others went to the coaching couch, Ash and Pikachu quickly entered the battlefield. Yesterday, he already registered his Pokemon. Then, just before the battle, Brock released two instead of one Pokemon from his Poke Ball. Not only did he let Ludicolo cheer, he also held on for Butterfree for Ash, who wasn’t registered for this crucial battle. And so, the butterfly was allowed to cheer, in order to support his trainer. Also, Lucy made her Milotic emerge from her Poke Ball, in order to have an extra cheerleader for Ash. Misty, as usual, gave Togetic, Azumarill, Hoppip, Psyduck, Politoed and Dewgong a chance to cheer.

Quickly after Ash’s entrance, Gary also entered the field, with a group of cheerleaders standing behind him. “Gary, Gary, he’s our man! If he can’t do it, no one can! Go, Gary!” This caused Brock’s face to go red. However, Lucy sat left from him, while Misty sat right from him, so he felt a terrible pain once both girls pulled one of his ears.

After that, the referee was ready to start the battle. “This is a six on six battle between Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak. There is no time limit. The battle ends when all Pokemon of one trainer are unable to battle. The winner will win the Johto League. Choose your Pokemon!” This battle would be played on a neutral field. No ice, grass, rocks or water, but just a regular field, to prevent giving certain Pokemon an advantage.

“Umbreon, I choose you!” Gary shouted, while hurling a Poke Ball in the air. A black, four-legged Pokemon was gritting its teeth, ready for battle.

“Umbreon won’t do much damage by himself, but Lucy told me he’s a great defender,” Ash thought. “If there’s one Pokemon good at breaking through that, it’s Charizard. I have Pikachu, Bayleef and Bulbasaur to take care of Blastoise, so using Charizard from the beginning shouldn’t be a big deal.” Then, the fiery lizard emerged from his Poke Ball, greeting Ash with the usual Flamethrower in the face.

After the referee gave his beginning signal, the battle started. “Charizard, let’s start with a Flamethrower!” Ash commanded. His Pokemon listened, but not in the way he was supposed to. He turned around, opened his mouth and spit fire in Ash’s face again.

“Charizard, use your Headbutt!” Ash tried. However, Charizard was so dizzy he was unable to aim, charging his head against a wall instead of Umbreon.

“Charizard, no!” Ash thought. He knew the big lizard wasn’t able to aim attacks anymore after this nasty Ghost move.

“Umbreon, now he’s too dizzy to evade, use your Double-Edge!” Gary shouted. The Dark-type ran at the Fire-type, charging into the lizard, smashing him against a wall. And so, both Pokemon took quite some damage. While Umbreon hurt himself by using the risky Double-Edge and got hit by one Flamethrower, Charizard got hit by Double-Edge and smashed his head against a wall in confusion. However, thanks to the Double-Edge, Charizard wasn’t confused anymore!

“Charizard, this is awesome, finish it with your Dragon Rage!” A big, bright fireball was shot at the surprised evolved form of Eevee, who collapsed instantly. “Umbreon is defeated, Charizard is the winner!”

While Gary complimented his Umbreon for its hard work and sent out his next Pokemon, Ash congratulated and complimented Charizard, receiving a Flamethrower in the face.

“Charizard versus Nidoqueen, begin!” the referee shouted.

“Nidoqueen, let’s start with your Poison Sting!” Gary commanded. A great amount of purple needles were shot at the lizard, quickly hitting him, despite his attempts to avoid getting hit. The Fire-type was significantly weakened, but still able to battle.

“Charizard, Flamethrower!” Ash said. His strongest Pokemon opened his mouth and spit fire at the Poison-type.

“Charizard, Seismic Toss!” Ash shouted. Charizard grabbed Nidoqueen by her arms, flew up, made a circle loop and smashed his opponent against the ground, finishing her off. Then, the referee confirmed the Poison-type’s defeat.

“Charizard, this is awesome!” Ash complimented. Meanwhile, Gary was already about to send out his third Pokemon, which would be his Dodrio.

“Professor, do you think Charizard can beat Dodrio?” Delia asked.

“I’m not sure. Charizard is extremely tired, he can’t take much more, and Dodrio is very strong. I know that, that Pokemon has been at my lab often. But Charizard also defeated Nidoqueen while I thought he was about to be defeated, so maybe he’ll surprise us again,” Professor Oak answered.

“Professor, who are you cheering for, Ash or Gary?” Brock asked.

“I don’t know, I’m torn... Gary is my grandson, but he barely calls me or sees me if he doesn’t switch out Pokemon, and Ash is my best friend, he feels like a son to me,” the professor explained, while tears flew down from the Gary’s cheerleaders’s faces.

“Understandable,” Lucy said.

“Begin!” the referee shouted. Then, Ash told Charizard to use Wing Attack. However, he didn’t count on what was going to happen next.

“Dodrio, Hyper Beam!” Gary shouted. When the lizard appeared, the three-headed bird shot three strong beams at Charizard, one from every head, instantly defeating Ash’s strongest Pokemon. “Charizard is unable to battle, Dodrio is the winner!”

Then, Ash complimented his Charizard. He took another Poke Ball from his belt. “Arcanine, I choose you!” A fiery, dog-like Pokemon emerged from the red and white ball. Then, the referee told the trainers to resume the battle. “Begin!”

“Fury Attack!” the troll shouted. His Flying-type quickly ran at Arcanine, who was able to escape at first, but ended up getting pecked constantly anyways.

“Arcanine, hold on! I know you can do it!” Ash tried to encourage his Pokemon. “Use your Fire Blast!” And so, the shot of fire hit the three-headed opponent from a very small distance, causing him to faint. “Dodrio is unable to battle, Arcanine is the winner!”

And so, Ash and his Pokemon cheered. “Arrr!” the Fire-type barked from happiness. However, despite trying to hide it, the stubborn dog was extremely tired after taking various pecks during Dodrio’s Fury Attack. Meanwhile, Gary was getting extremely nervous. He had only three Pokemon left, while Ash had five. Then, Gary knew who to use. “Arcanine, I choose you!” And so, both trainers were using the same Pokemon! “Arcanine versus Arcanine, begin!” the referee screamed.

“Arcanine, finish it with your Take Down!” Gary shouted. His Pokemon charged into Ash’s Arcanine, who was able to jump away quickly.

“Arcanine, Extremespeed,” Ash said. His Fire-type quickly ran at the opponent, striking him at blinding speed. It was enough to weaken and damage the opponent significantly, but Gary’s Pokemon wasn’t even close to being defeated yet.

“Arcanine, you did a great job. Have some rest,” Ash complimented. Then, he sent out his fattest Pokemon. “Snorlax, I choose you!”

And so, the battle continued. “Snorlax, use your Mega Kick!” Ash commanded. The big, heavy Pokemon was big enough to smash the opponent upwards with his right foot. Then, his trainer told him to use Ice Punch on the Fire-type who was falling down after being kicked upwards. And so, the dog-like Pokemon suffered two heavy blows in a short amount of time. However, the Pokemon wasn’t defeated yet, despite being very close to complete exhaustion.

Then, Gary knew how to take advantage of his Pokemon’s tight situation. “Arcanine, use Reversal!” And so, his Pokemon used an attack that got stronger when the user is severely damaged, while the Fighting-type attack was also super effective against Snorlax, instantly defeating the Normal-type opponent in one hit!

Much to his surprise, after everything that seemed to go so well for Snorlax, Ash had to retreat the Pokemon to his Poke Ball very quickly. Everything went so well, Charizard got him a great start, but now, Ash and Gary were equal in number of Pokemon again. However, he knew Gary’s Arcanine was almost done for, he wanted a fast Pokemon that could quickly dish out one hit without taking damage. And so, he told Pikachu to enter the battlefield. Then, the referee told the trainers to begin.

“Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt!” As expected, and much to Togetic’s pleasure, Gary’s Arcanine fainted in one hit, because of the previous damage done by Ash’s Arcanine and Snorlax. And so, Gary quickly chose his fifth Pokemon, Scizor.

After the referee’s signal, Gary quickly resumed the battle. “Scizor, start with your Fury Cutter!” The red Pokemon quickly flew towards Pikachu and started slashing constantly, not allowing the yellow mouse to avoid even one hit. “Pika Pi!” the Pokemon screamed sadly, while Togetic looked worried.

“Pikachu, Thunder!” Ash shouted. While getting hurt, the Electric-type was still able to deliver a major blow to the Steel-type.

“And now let’s continue with Volt Tackle!” the black-haired boy commanded. The Electric-type charged into the mantis at high speed, severely damaging both the opponent and himself. While Pikachu was extremely tired, Scizor still stood firm on his legs.

“Wow, that Scizor has great endurance,” Lucy mentioned.

“Yeah, well, annoying bugs all have great endurance,” Misty snapped.

Then, Scizor surprised Pikachu with a Silver Wind, defeating the Electric-type. While tears flew down Togetic’s eyes, Ash brought the defeated Pokemon to the coaching couch. “Misty, Togetic, please take care of Pikachu for me,” he said.

“Alright, good luck!” Misty said quickly. Then, Ash knew he had to select his fifth Pokemon. He had only two left: Bulbasaur and Bayleef. Both were Grass-types and matched up horribly against a Bug- and Steel-type. However, he didn’t have a choice. Then, he decided the fast and nimble Bulbasaur was a better choice against Scizor, while Bayleef’s persistence, work ethic, endurance and sheer power would work out nicely against Blastoise. And so, he made the Kanto-native Pokemon emerge from a Poke Ball.

“Bulbasaur, hang in there! Use your Frenzy Plant!” Ash said. A few big roots came out of the ground, poking and slashing Scizor, who took significant damage. However, his type resistance allowed him to survive the blow.

“Scizor, retaliate with your Slash!” Gary commanded. However, he didn’t count on Bulbasaur’s next move. Ash told the Grass-type to use Vine Whip. Then, the red, mantis-like Pokemon was thrown on the ground at high power, getting a great deal of damage.

“Scizor, Double-Edge!” Gary commanded. The Steel-type quickly charged into the small Grass Pokemon, smashing him against the wall with a ridiculously strong attack. However, the recoil of the exhausting attack took its toll on Scizor as well, causing the Steel-type to collapse.

“Bulbasaur and Scizor are both unable to battle,” the referee said. And so, both trainers had to return their Pokemon to their Poke Balls, only having one Pokemon left.

“Blastoise, I choose you!” Gary shouted, while hurling a Poke Ball. A big, strong turtle came out of the ball, ready to battle. Meanwhile, Ash chose a less dangerous-looking Pokemon. A yellow Pokemon with a big leaf on her head entered the battlefield, ready to give her all for her trainer. “Bayleef, it all depends on you now! You can do it!” Ash tried to give his Pokemon confidence.

“Can Bayleef beat Blastoise?” Brock asked.

“Of course,” Lucy said. “Bayleef is very strong and has a type advantage. And besides, during the battle between Gary and Bruno, I saw Blastoise doing well, but he’s not perfect. Ash knows his weakness.”

Finally. Bayleef versus Blastoise. Ash versus Gary. This was the moment of Ash’s life. He just had to win, he just had to! Then, the referee shouted “Begin!”

“Bayleef, let’s start with your Razor Leaf!” Ash shouted. The Grass-type hurled a stream of sharp leaves at the Water-type, who withdrew in his shell to diminish the amount of damage done by the attack.

“Blastoise, Water Gun!” Gary commanded. Water was shot at the opponent at high speed. However, the Grass Pokemon put her vines against the ground to jump high.

“Very good, now Solarbeam!” Ash said. Because of the very sunny summer weather, Bayleef was able to shoot the attack immediately, without having to charge up, striking Blastoise by surprise.

“Blastoise, are you okay?” Gary asked, noticing the pain of his Pokemon. “Blas,” the Pokemon growled, giving his trainer a satisfying answer. “Very good, now use Rapid Spin!” The turtle hid in his shell, quickly moved towards the Grass-type opponent and smashed her against the wall. “Bay!” she screamed.

“Bayleef, use your Petal Dance,” Ash said. His Pokemon made flowers emerge from her head leaf, then made them swirl around Blastoise like a tornado, severely hurting the Water-type. “This is going well, Bayleef! Sweet!”

Meanwhile, on the bench, Ash’s friends were talking about the battle. “Lucy, why did you advise Ash to use Bayleef against Blastoise and not Bulbasaur?” Brock asked.

“Because Bayleef just has more pure strength in her Grass-type attacks than Bulbasaur, and because she has more endurance,” Lucy explained. “Meanwhile, Bulbasaur is better against fast, nimble opponents like Gary’s Scizor, because he’s faster than Bayleef.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” Professor Oak explained.

“I wasn’t expecting Bayleef to do this well,” Delia said, while the Pokemon were all cheering for Bayleef.

Then, the group focused on the battle again and saw how Blastoise stood up after the Petal Dance. “Bayleef, let’s end this! Use your Headbutt!” Ash shouted. His Pokemon ran at Blastoise, hoping to smash the turtle against the wall.

However, Gary told Blastoise to use Hyper Beam when Bayleef was close. And so, the Grass-type suddenly got hit by one of Blastoise’s strongest attacks! She lay down on the ground for a while, struggling to stand up.

“Blastoise, finish it with your Hydro Pump!” Gary shouted. He thought the victory was there now, expecting Bayleef to be unable to avoid the attack.

“Great! Now use your Razor Leaf again!” Ash commanded. This time, Blastoise had no time to hide in his shell, causing the Water-type to get hit, being close to being defeated. However, Bayleef was very tired as well.

“Blastoise, finish it with Skull Bash!” Gary commanded. This time, the turtle quickly tackled the Grass-type and stroke her with his head, smashing her against the wall.

“Bayleef, can you stand up?” Ash asked. He didn’t get a response.

“Pika Pi!” Pikachu shouted. “Togetic!” Togetic screamed. Then, the other Pokemon cheered for Bayleef as well, hoping she would find the power to stand up.

“Bayleef is de...” the referee said, while Gary looked happy. Tears flew down Ash’s eyes. “Again, I lost a League...” Ash thought. Gary’s Blastoise was in a great deal of pain, but was just able to keep standing.

However, then, they got surprised: Bayleef tried to stand up and succeeded! She used her last bit of power, knew she couldn’t take much more, but she didn’t want to give up! “Bayleef!” Ash shouted happily, while he stopped crying. Misty, Brock, Lucy, Delia, Professor Oak, Pikachu, Togetic, Lucy’s Milotic, Brock’s Ludicolo and Misty’s Azumarill, Hoppip, Psyduck, Politoed and Dewgong cheered loudly.

“Apologies for the inconvenience, please continue,” the referee apologised.

“Bayleef, use your Razor Leaf!” Ash shouted. He knew long-distance attacks were the way to go, knowing Bayleef was too tired for physical attacks. The leaves didn’t strike Blastoise. However, the Pokemon didn’t give up yet and tried to make the leaves swirl, whipping up a tornado and succeeded! However, Blastoise was fast enough to avoid the attack.

“That’s real nice, Ash, but that’s not gonna stop me from beating you!” Gary said. Then, he told Blastoise to finish the battle with Mega Punch. The turtle ran at the Grass-type, hoping to finally defeat the persistent Grass-type.

Then, Ash knew what he had to do. “Bayleef, finish it with your Leaf Storm!” he shouted. Bayleef knew Blastoise wasn’t able to avoid getting hurt. She hurled the sharp leaves at Blastoise, made them spin around and created a storm. The turtle got trapped in the tornado, got struck by many leaves and fell down on the ground. The turtle was almost done for, but still tried to stand up, without much success.

“Finish it with Body Slam!” Ash commanded. The Grass-type hurled her body at the strong Water-type, who had no chance to avoid. Then, the battle was finally finished. Blastoise collapsed and didn’t stand up anymore.

“Blastoise is defeated, Bayleef is the winner! Victory goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, the winner of the Johto League!” the referee shouted.

And so, Ash quickly ran at Bayleef to congratulate his Pokemon and celebrate the victory of their lives. He got a Body Slam-like hug from the Grass-type. When the Pallet Town-native trainer stood up, he saw his friends all entered the battlefield too, ready to celebrate the victory. Pikachu jumped on his shoulder and gave him a high-five. Then, his mother gave him a hug, while Misty kissed him on his cheek. “All of you, you’re the best! Thank you all so much!” Ash said. Then, he, Bayleef and Pikachu ran at the other side of the field. “We did it! I won... The Johto League!”

“Pi Pikachu!” the Electric-type shouted, while seeing Togetic blush. “Bay Bay!” today’s hero squealed. Meanwhile, while Gary complimented his Blastoise for the efforts and had a tear flowing down his right eye, his cheerleaders were crying rivers of tears. “Gary lost!” one of them shouted, while sobbing.

Ten minutes later, Ash stood on a big stage, together with his Bayleef and Pikachu, while seeing a red-haired man holding a golden trophy in one arm and a microphone in the other one. It was Lance, a Champion who also had some side jobs. He was one of the Pokemon G-Men, who protect Pokemon in trouble, and he worked as a Pokemon League official, ready to deliver the winner’s prize. He spoke to the audience, complimenting Ash. “Today, we have seen an awesome new Johto League winner. His Pokemon were strong and well-trainer, he is able to improvise when needed, and both he and his Pokemon have an awesome drive to improve. Take his Bayleef for example, who took some really harsh blows, but still managed to stand up and fight on. Ash is a trainer who has all the qualities necessary to be one of the world’s best Pokemon trainers. I have faith that Ash will keep working and will continue to be one of the world’s best.” Then, a big applause came from the stands, congratulating Ash with his well-deserved victory. Then, the Dragon trainer handed Ash the big, golden trophy, symbolizing his victory.

“Yes!” Ash screamed. “I’ve got... The Johto League trophy!” “Pi Pikachu!” his signature Pokemon shouted. Bayleef was still tired from the exhausting battle, but still managed to give her trainer a big hug, while shouting “Bay Bay!”

And so, both the winning and the losing finalists had to come down to the press room, where a group of journalists gathered to ask the battlers about the match. While Ash’s friends and Gary’s cheerleaders were there to attend this event and listen to the answers, the two arch rivals from Pallet Town sat next to each other in the stadium’s press room. Then, the questions started coming.

“Ash, what was the key for victory today?” a reporter from the Blackthorn City Daily asked.

“Well, like Lance said during the ceremony, both improvising and the pure will to win, persistence. Both my Pokemon and I did this,” the winner answered.

“Gary, do you think Ash deserved this win?” an interviewer for national television asked.

“Well, my cheerleaders say he doesn’t, and the battle was very close,” Gary said. “However, I have to admit Bayleef really deserved it. However, it’s still painful... Coming this far, and then losing such an important battle...”

“Do you think you’ll ever reach a final round in a national League again?” a journalist from Pallet Town TV asked.

“Probably, with the support of my cheerleaders and my awesome tactical skills, I should be able to,” the loser answered.

And so, after thirty minutes and numerous questions, the press conference was almost at its end. “Ash, at the end of this press conference, is there anything you’d like to say to Gary after this battle?” the reporter from Pallet Town TV asked.

“Ash was here, Gary is a loser!” the Johto League winner teased. “Bay Bay!” his Grass-type Pokemon added to that.

And so, a big party and two days later, Ash and Misty were relaxing at the beach of Humilau. Two days ago, after Ash’s victory, he and his friends had a big party at the hotel room. He bragged endlessly to Lucy, switched his underwear to please his mother, talked to Professor Oak about his Pokemon, talked to Brock about hot girls, got a great meal cooked by his mom and even got Misty to drink her first beer, something she refused back when she won the Whirl Cup. Then, after saying goodbye to Delia, Professor Oak, Brock and Lucy and sending Charizard and Butterfree back to their homes, the couple took the train to Humilau City, where they would enjoy a well-deserved beach vacation. Even Pikachu and Togetic were sunbathing, being next to each other on a light blue towel on the crowded beach. However, even on a holiday, there wasn’t always rest for our heroes...

“Hey, what’s that?” Ash asked, while wearing his red swimming trunks and being half-asleep on his white towel. while pointing at a big, red, Magikarp-shaped submarine.

“It’s Team Rocket again...” Misty moaned. She wore the slightly too skimpy black bikini Ash loved to see her wear. However, at this moment, he had more eye for the evil trio than for his girlfriend’s looks.

Then, the red-haired lady, the purple-haired man and the cat-like Pokemon stood on their submarine. “Prepare for trouble!” Jessie shouted.

“Pikachu, hit them with your Thunderbolt!” the boy from Pallet Town shouted. However, the attack didn’t reach far enough to strike the evil trio.

Then, Ash knew what to do. He saw the surfer’s surfboard. “Hey, could I borrow that thing?”

“Um... Sure, man...” the man said. “Here you go.”

“Pikachu, you know what to do,” Ash said. And so, the yellow mouse jumped on the surfboard, moved closer towards Team Rocket and zapped them with a Thunderbolt. “Team Rocket is blasting off again!” Jessie and James shouted. “Meowth!” the cat added.

“Yay, we did it!” Ash cheered, while noticing Pikachu was back at the shore. Then, Ash gave the surfboard back to its owner. “That was cool, man!” he said. Then, he went off to the water, to catch some waves.

“I hope those three will finally leave us alone someday,” Misty said, while her boyfriend and Pikachu were back on their towels.

“Yeah, they’re stalkers,” Ash said.

Then, a tanned, shirtless man walked up to Misty. “Hey, are you Misty, the girl who won the Whirl Cup?” he asked.

“Yes, I am,” the former Cerulean City Gym Leader answered.

“Cool! I saw you on TV, you’re pretty, and you’re an awesome trainer,” the man complimented. “I’m Marlon, the Humilau City Gym Leader.”

“Okay then,” the Gym Leader said, while hurling a Poke Ball. “Jellicent, I choose you!” A blue Pokemon emerged from the Poke Ball.

“I knew you were probably hoping for me to use a Water-type Pokemon, but are you okay with it if I’d use Togetic?” Misty asked. “She hasn’t battled in some time and is ready to go!”

“That’s fine with me,” Marlon answered. “Let’s begin!” His Pokemon was floating in the sea, while Togetic hovered in the air above the water.

“Togetic, let’s start with your Solarbeam!” Misty shouted. The Happiness Pokemon took a deep breath, looked at the sun and shot a strong beam at the Ghost-type opponent, instantly defeating him!

“Jellicent, it’s fine,” Marlon said, while retreating his Pokemon. “Wow, Misty, that Togetic is pretty damn strong! It’s not a Water Pokemon, can’t be used for your big dream, and is still so strong!”

“Thanks,” Misty said, while receiving a hug from Togetic. “Yeah, Togetic and I train frequently, and I also try to let her battle frequently. But mostly, she’s like a sister to me. I love my other Pokemon too, but the bond I have with Togetic will always be the most special.”

“Wow, what do you mean?” Marlon asked.

“I met her when she was a baby Togepi, I saw her hatch from the egg. She saw me as her mother, I’ve taken care of her like she was my child,” Misty explained, while Togetic nodded. “Then, one day, she evolved and had to protect a group of Togepi, so I had to release her. Then, when my sisters forced me to become the new Cerulean City Gym Leader against my will, I was stuck at the Gym and suffered from depressions. When I was fifteen year old, Togetic brought a spark of positivity in my life by returning to me. She gave me the guts to escape the Gym and pursue my dream of becoming a Water Pokemon Master and be with the guy I love. Now, she’s like the good sister to me, the good sister my real sisters never were.”

“That’s cool, Pokemon can sometimes be better friends than other humans,” Marlon answered.

“I know, right? I would’ve never achieved anything without Togetic! Thanks to her, I won the Whirl Cup. Without her, I’d still be a depressed Gym Leader,” Misty explained. “To Togetic!” the Pokemon squealed, while hugging her trainer.

“Thanks for the battle. I might’ve lost, but I’ve heard an awesome story that’s worth more than a win,” Marlon said. “You’re so cool!”

“Thanks, bye! It was nice to meet you,” Misty said. Then, she went back to Ash and Pikachu, who both fell asleep.

“Ash, wake up!” Misty shouted in her boyfriend’s ear, just before kissing him on his cheek. Meanwhile, Pikachu got a kiss on his red, bright left cheek from Togetic, causing the Electric-type to wake up.

“Um... Zzz... Did you beat Marlon?” Ash asked.

“Yes, thanks to Togetic,” Misty said, while Pikachu congratulated his girlfriend with her immensely strong Solarbeam. Of course the move was boosted by the bright, sunny, tropical weather in Humilau City, but still, Togetic did a great job.

“It’s awesome how far we reached in just one year, huh?” Misty asked.

“Yeah, I won the League, you won the Whirl Cup, and our Pokemon have grown a lot...” Ash said.

“Yeah, and we had each other,” Ash said. “I’ve been on quite some journeys now, but this was the best one. And not just because I finally won a League, but also because you were with me.”

“I agree,” Misty said. “Sure, we were together seven years ago too, but you didn’t realize your feelings and I didn’t have the guts to outright tell you. Now, we didn’t have to repress our emotions anymore.”

“Yeah, and it seems like Pikachu is stronger than ever before,” Ash said.

“That’s because he has Togetic with him now,” Misty explained. “I’m so glad we’re also making our Pokemon happier by being together.”

“Me too,” Ash said. “But this journey is our best so far, but our next quest to Hoenn will be even better! And maybe the travels to other regions after that will be even better! Who knows, maybe I win another League again! Or maybe you win more Water Pokemon tournaments and earn yourself even more fame!”

“But first, let’s be lazy and enjoy this holiday,” Ash said. “Beach vacations are often about sun, sea and hot girls. And the sun is shining, I can swim in the sea if I want to, and you’re a hot girl!”

“Don’t you mean beautiful girls?” Misty asked.

“No, I mean hot,” Ash teased.

“You might sometimes be an unromantic jerk, but oh, I love you so much!” Misty said, while hugging her boyfriend. Pikachu received a hug as well, a hug from Togetic.

And so, eight years later, many things changed. But there were also many things that stayed the same. Ash might’ve won many Leagues, became a Champion and grown his hair, he was still as dense and unromantic as always. And while Misty’s hair was shorter now, her list of prizes was longer. Not only did she win multiple Water Pokemon-related tournaments like the Whirl Cup in different regions, she also was recognized as a best Water Pokemon Master and became Kanto’s strongest Elite Four member. But she still had her temper. Yesterday, the happy couple even got married! The two settled down in a big house in Pallet Town, where they would live from now on. There, Ash was able to visit his mother, his friend Professor Oak and his Pokemon at the Laboratory every single day. Meanwhile, Misty had a big lake in the garden of their mansion for her Water Pokemon.

The day after the wedding, late on a warm summer evening, Ash was waiting for his girlfriend and her Togetic in front of the hospital door. To kill some time, he was flipping through a photo book with pictures of his friends. On the first page, he saw his mother, Mimey and Professor Oak. While Delia finally found a new partner, the professor recently retired. However, he still lived at his laboratory, he was incapable of leaving all his work behind. Because of that, he often helps his successor when taking care of the Pokemon or working on research.

Then, Ash flipped over to the second page. He saw Brock and Lucy in front of the Battle Pike, together with a beautiful Milotic and a jolly Ludicolo. He thought about the time he visited their wedding, the moment Brock was dreaming of for his entire life. “I’m so happy Brock is finally one of the world’s best Pokemon Breeders, he even has his own TV show about Pokemon breeding now!” he said.

“Pi Pikachu!” the yellow Pokemon squealed.

“And Lucy got an award for being the strongest Frontier Brain in the world!” Kanto’s Champion shouted. Then, he looked at the next page, a photo of Tracey and the Sensational Sisters. While he thought about his brother-in-law, who became Professor Oak’s successor and lived at the Laboratory with Daisy, he also remembered how Misty found the power to forgive her other two sisters for the horrible things they did to the fourth Kanto Elite Four member. Even though Lily and Violet were just as shallow as before, they still had successful careers as models for fashion magazines. The contest dress store in Cerulean City got a giant boost from their work. Meanwhile, Dorian was still doing well at the Cerulean City Gym.

“Pi Pi Pi!” the yellow Pokemon on his shoulder said, while turning over the page. There, he and his trainer saw May and Drew, who both won the Grand Festival various times and lived together in Littleroot Town now. Then, on the page after that, he saw Dawn and Zoey. Both girls were Top Coordinators as well. On the photo, Piplup was holding a ribbon.

Another page later, Ash saw Iris and Cilan. These friends were successful in life as well. While Cilan was the world’s best Sommelier, Iris finally was recognized as one of the world’s best Dragon Masters and became one of Unova’s Elite Four, she was a successful replacement for Shauntal, who decided to work on her writing career and ended her time as an Elite Four member.

Then, Misty finally came out of the door. “Ash, I’ve got some news for you!”

“I don’t really get it...” Ash said.

“Let’s go to the hill close to here, it’ll be more romantic that way,” Misty suggested. “The moon is shining, it’s so beautiful there now!” And so, the couple walked a short while. Even though Togetic had wings, Misty carried her for a special occasion.

“What’s up with Togetic?” Ash asked.

“You’ll see when we’re up at that hill,” Misty teased, while they walked through a small neighborhood with old houses.

“I don’t get it,” Ash said, looking clueless.

“Oh, you’ll see later, just wait a few minutes!” Misty said.

“Are you sure I’m gonna like this?” Ash asked.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Misty assured.

“And is this good news for Pikachu?” Ash asked.

“Pikapi?” the Electric-type asked, while the couple finally reached the park.

“Toge Togetic!” the Happiness Pokemon answered, while gently nodding.

“Ash, I’m sure, it’s awesome! Trust me,” Misty said, while the couple finally reached the top of the small, green hill in the park.

“Well, it’s time now, we’re there,” Ash said.

“Wait, look at Togetic!” Misty said. “Come on, Togetic, push!” she encouraged. And so, an egg emerged from the white Pokemon! While, Ash held it in his arms, the Happiness Pokemon flew out of Misty's arms and gently kissed Pikachu on his left cheek.

“This is awesome, Togetic!” Misty complimented. “I’m sure you’ll be a great mother.”

“Was this why we went to this hill?” Ash asked.

“Well, this is a part of it, but not the only reason,” Misty answered. “There’s more.”

“I don’t get it...” Ash moaned. “What are you talking about?”

Then, Misty quickly checked if there was indeed no one around. Then, she took off her top. She still wore a white bra under it, but still didn’t want to be seen by others than her husband, Togetic and Pikachu. “Ash, feel my belly,” she said.